


You Daft Old Sod

by startrekkingaroundasgard



Series: Pride Prompts 2020 [3]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Bisexual Character, Comfort, Coming Out, F/F, Feelings, First Kiss, Fluff, Gender Related, Gender or Sex Swap, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Insecurity, Kiss on Cheek, Love Confessions, Minor Injuries, Sexuality, Soft Thirteenth Doctor, Thirteenth Doctor Era, mention of depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:55:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24586459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startrekkingaroundasgard/pseuds/startrekkingaroundasgard
Summary: 13 is worried that the reader won’t want to be with her anymore now that she is a woman. The reader comes out as bisexual to her and lets her know that nothing will change.
Relationships: Thirteenth Doctor/Reader
Series: Pride Prompts 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1768873
Comments: 3
Kudos: 62





	You Daft Old Sod

The streets were bustling, noisy and loud with inconsiderate drivers. People picked fights and shouted at each other for no real reason, highlighting just another normal day on planet Earth. It was times like this that you missed The Doctor so very much. What you would give for him to turn up on your doorstep in a ridiculous new suit, floppy hair and blinding grin, and extend his hand, to take you away from this inane normality and travel among the stars once again. 

Sadly, that was nothing but a distant dream. It had been years since The Doctor had dropped you back on Earth. You hadn’t wanted to leave, of course you hadn’t, but he’d already lost Bill and couldn’t risk losing you too. As they carried her body away into the lift, he shoved you back in the TARDIS, ignoring every argument that you wanted - needed - to help your friend and sent you home. 

You often caught yourself thinking of him and Bill, concocting all kinds of grand scenarios where The Doctor pulled off another miracle and saved her. It was a futile attempt to quell your fears, though. If he had truly succeeded, if he’d found some way to heal that awful hole in her chest, maybe tossed Missy into the blackhole for good measure, then he would have come back for you. They’d have appeared in your living room, smiles and laughter, and whizzed you away from more adventures. 

But The Doctor never did come back for you. That could only mean that Bill was lost and the guilt, the sorrow, was so overwhelming that he daren’t return for you. And that was okay - at least that was what you told yourself. You understood the heartache, the pain. You carried it with you, tucked it away and got on with your life like every other human on the planet. 

You never stopped dreaming of him, though. That wonderful man with all his changing faces, always different but deep down the same incredible soul that you’d come to love. You missed The Doctor more than unusual today. No real reason why but the hole in your chest was almost as real as Bill’s. Oh, how you missed her too. 

Lost in your thoughts, you walked straight into the street without stopping to check for traffic. It all happened so quick. The car sped around the corner, racing towards you like a bullet. By the time you clocked it, it was already too late. The heavy weight crashed into and you fell to the ground, the harsh road surface tearing up your skin as you skidded to a halt.

An eternity passed as your brain restarted, distantly considering that that hadn’t hurt as much as you’d expected. Opening your eyes, you found a blonde woman staring down at you, her chest heaving against yours, concern radiating off her so strongly that you could feel it heating your cheeks. Or maybe that was some other feeling entirely. 

She breathed your name, wistful, almost dreamily, a bright smile on her face. It was the kind of smile that conveyed the joy of the whole universe, swept you up in its majesty and made everything alright. You’d only ever seen a smile like that on one face - well, three if you were being pedantic - before.

“Doctor? Is that… Is it really you?”

“New face, same Doctor.” She rolled off of you and jumped to her feet, pulling you up in one easy motion. Dusting down your sleeves, not so subtly checking your injuries, she shook her head and said, “Still as reckless as ever, I see.”

“What are you doing here, Doctor?”

Her smile faltered slightly at your tone. You hadn’t meant anything by it but even she had to admit that this was unkind. Settling back into a ‘normal’ life had been a struggle and now, just as you were starting to let go and face reality, here she was to turn your world upside down again. 

“I missed you.”

“I thought you’d moved on." 

"Never.”

You crossed the road, The Doctor falling into a comfortable stride beside you. It was so familiar, even with the heavy silence, and for the first time in years you felt as if you were no longer missing a part of yourself. It would have been so easy to follow her back to the TARDIS and fly away together without hesitation. 

But before that, you had to know. Focusing on the cracks in the pavement, you asked quietly, “What happened to Bill, Doctor? Did you save her?”

Her expression grew troubled, but a distinct hopefulness bubbled beneath. “She saved me. Do you remember Heather?”

“The cute girl in the puddle?”

“That’s her. Well, she came back for Bill and they travelled the Milky Way for a while. Came back to Earth and lived as humans for a long time - I suppose they must be around here somewhere in this century. Best not look for them, though. Messy timelines and all." 

In the years since your travels, you’d fallen back on thinking of time in a linear way. It took a few moments to switch back to accepting that everything that the past, present and future were always happening simultaneous. You were pleased to hear that Bill got - or was currently living - her happy ending with Heather, though. 

The Doctor’s earlier words still sticking in your mind, you asked, "How did she save you?”

“Crossed paths with the Testimony Project. A collection of memories in avatars that look like dead people. Surprisingly not evil. Anyway, she helped remind me what’s important and convinced me to regenerate.”

“You weren’t going to?”

The Doctor shoved her hands in her pockets. Scuffing her boots against the pavement as she walked, she muttered, “I’d lost all of my friends and everyone I loved. River. The Master. You. I was ready for it all to end.”

“Oh, you daft old sod.” You cupped her cheek, the action feeling as natural as it always had. Your heart warmed as she leant into your touch, instinctual and immediate. “You never lost me. You kept me safe.”

“I didn’t think… I was scared that you wouldn't… Not like we used to." 

It should have hurt that she couldn’t finish her sentences but it didn’t. After years of travelling together, experiencing the very best that the universe had to offer and fighting off the worst, you’d defined your relationship with actions instead of words. In the thousands of languages around the millions of galaxies, there wasn’t really a single phrase that encapsulated the depth of your feelings for one another. 

Terrifying and wonderful, it was just what it was. For an awful moment you considered that perhaps The Doctor didn’t truly know how much you had loved them but shook that treacherous thought away. You’d been pretty open about it and the emotions had always felt reciprocated. 

"After I regenerated, I stayed away because I didn’t know how you could possibly look at me the same way you used to.”

You lifted her face, levelling your gazes. It broke your heart to think of The Doctor regenerating alone so, before you could talk yourself out of it, needing her to know, to hear it from your own lips, you confessed, “Doctor, I will love you no matter what you do or how many times you leave me behind.”

“I am sorry about that. I couldn’t risk your life as well. But that wasn’t what I meant.”

“Then what?”

She stepped back, gesturing down at her body. You raised an eyebrow, taking in her new clothes for the first time. Bright and colourful, certainly unlike her last incarnation, but cute nonetheless. Still not ascertaining her meaning, she explained, slightly red faced, “I’m not exactly… Well, this body has different parts to my last few. I understand, of course. Humans have very defined views on things but I couldn’t bear for you to not…”

You stared at her for a long few seconds before bursting into laughter. You couldn’t help yourself. It was just so ridiculous that after all this time she didn’t know. “I’m bisexual, Doctor. Trust me when I say that I will be attracted to you no matter what gender you end up as next.”

“I always thought… Well, I was always a man and you seemed to like that.”

“You really thought I was straight? What about that time we went to Hollywood and I kissed Katharine Hepburn while you were off with Marilyn - who I also kissed, while we’re at it. Or Josephine Baker? Or that lovely barmaid on Jupiter Station?”

“You kissed them in a friendly way?”

“It was definitely more than just friendly." 

"So you really don’t have a problem with this new body?”

“Promise. Cross my heart." 

The Doctor grinned, confidence growing. She took a step forward and closed the gap between you, fingers twitching against yours. You linked your hands together, your entire arm tingling as you cemented the familiar connection. Definitely still your Doctor. 

You pressed a kiss to her cheek, loving the way the blush spread across her skin. You wondered if this incarnation was as touch averse, or maybe touch starved, as her previous selves. Only one way to find out, you supposed. 

In your peripheral, you caught sight of the TARDIS and smiled so hard that your cheeks hurt. The Doctor stepped around you with a dramatic twirl and tapped the side of the old box. Hiding her fear of rejection terribly, obviously without practise in this body, she asked softly, "So…”

“So…” you responded, needing to hear the words. 

“All of time and space. Anywhere and everywhere. You and me out in the universe, just like old times. Can I tempt you?”

No temptation was necessary. You reached beneath your t-shirt and pulled out the chain - never removed, your most precious possession - from around your neck. Your very own TARDIS key, shimmering in the sunlight. The ship’s shell was different, in subtle ways, but your key slid into the lock without any hesitation. Obviously she’d missed you too. Stepping inside, your smile grew impossibly wider as you took in the new interior. “Oh, Doctor, I love what you’ve done with the place.”

**Author's Note:**

> I realised that they literally just get up and walk off an almost hit and run but let’s be real; if The Doctor showed up and saved you, you’d probably forget about the danger almost immediately especially if, like the reader, you’d been running around the universe and facing monsters and aliens for years. It’s practically par for the course now. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, please let me know what you think!


End file.
